Building a permanent memorial at Flight 93 site

Those planning the Flight 93 National Memorial hope to begin construction by 2008 and have a ribbon cutting by 2011, the 10th anniversary of the plane crash.

Between now and then, the lead designer must assemble a team of subcontractors to work on the project, the design must evolve from a concept to detailed construction drawings, millions of dollars must be raised and land must be purchased.

“A lot of things have to happen simultaneously,” said Joanne Hanley, Flight 93 National Memorial superintendent.

The National Park Service is in the process of negotiating a contract with lead designer Paul Murdoch of Paul Murdoch Architects of Los Angeles, Calif. Murdoch submitted the winning design in the Flight 93 International Design Competition - one featuring a concrete tower with 40 wind chimes, a curved path lined with red and sugar maples and a black slate plaza with a band of translucent white marble inscribed with the names of the 40 innocents aboard the flight.

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The “memorial feature” is to cost an estimated $27 million, including $7 million for design and engineering, management services and technical studies. The other $20 million would be used for construction, according to the National Park Service. That money will come from $30 million in private funds that organizers hope to raise between now and 2008. Almost $7.5 million has been raised thus far.

“The memorial, itself, will come out of the private funding,” Hanley said.

The entire project, which includes a visitor’s center, access roads, parking, utilities and land, is estimated to cost almost $58 million. Planners hope to acquire the additional $28 million from the state and federal governments.

Earlier this year, appropriations committees in both the House and Senate approved $5 million in federal funding for land acquisition, which is estimated to cost $10 million. Hanley said organizers remain hopeful that the funds will pass a conference committee and be signed into law.

The park is to encompass 2,200 acres, including the crash site, view shed and access to Route 30 to the north. About 1,300 acres will be purchased outright, while 900 acres will remain in private ownership but be protected through conservation or scenic easements, officials have said.

Thus far, only one property has been purchased, a three-acre parcel with a one-story house and garage owned Paul and Vickie Vish of Skyline Road, Stonycreek Township. The Families of Flight 93 purchased the property July 28 for $112,000.

The Conservation Fund, an Arlington, Va.,-based nonprofit organization working on behalf of the Flight 93 partners, has also finalized deals with PBS Coals Inc. for two draglines and more than 800 acres worth of mineral rights. The mineral rights sold for $750,000 in late 2003, according to county records.

The fund has a contract with the Friedens coal company for land leading from the crash site to Route 30, but has yet to close on the property, sources said.

“The Families of Flight 93 have closed on the Vish property. We have a contract on another piece of property. And we’re in negotiations for contracts on two or three other pieces of property,” Hanley said.

Jim Cascio, an attorney representing PBS Coals, said the negotiations have been complicated by the land’s previous use for mining. As with any strip mine or deep mine, PBS Coals is required to reclaim the property. But that process became more difficult after the plane crash, which limited the treatment facilities the company could employ above ground, he said.

“I think everyone is working towards finding a way to complete the transfer of the land in spite of the constraints that exist because it is a crash site,” he said.

Cascio said the company remains committed to fulfilling its environmental obligations and has instructed him to seek fair market value for the property.

“We’re trying to come up with what the market value is,” he said. “That’s all you should expect. You shouldn’t expect a bonus because of the terrible thing that happened out there.”

Tim Lambert, a Harrisburg resident who is also represented by Cascio in property negotiations, agreed. Lambert owns about 160 acres near the crash site, including six acres in the stand of hemlocks immediately beyond the impact area.

“We’re looking for something that’s fair, not something outrageous,” he said. “That’s part of the reason I made the pledge (to donate the six acres). I simply couldn’t see accepting money for that property. People lost their lives there.”

Lambert said the property has been in his family since his grandfather purchased it in the 1930s. After the plane crashed on Sept. 11, 2001, Lambert said he spent time with Somerset County Coroner Wallace Miller scouring the site for plane parts and helping to organize a meeting for the Flight 93 families in New Jersey. Lambert also was a member of the Flight 93 Task Force.